We LOVED West Liberty Animal Hospital. The folks in the front are always sweet, Dr. Dorn seemed to know what he was talking about. We took our cat there, and then our Dalmatian when we got him, and fi... Read More
We LOVED West Liberty Animal Hospital. The folks in the front are always sweet, Dr. Dorn seemed to know what he was talking about. We took our cat there, and then our Dalmatian when we got him, and finally our Morkie, Penny.
When we first got Penny, she was diagnosed with pneumonia. We took her in and they placed her on oxygen and they told us to take her to Castle Shannon Animal Hospital so they could keep her in an oxygen tank for a few days and give her meds. They said it would be around $2,000. We were devastated. We remembered the breeder told us to call him if we had any issues. He told us to bring her there and he would have his vet take care of her. The vet that was there (not Dr. Dorn) told us if we drove her to the breeders, she would be dead by the time we got there. We got her back 10 days later, and she was fine. When we took her back later for another visit, they asked if it was “the same Penny”. Yes. She is the very same Penny I fell in love with the day I got her.
No big deal, we just wouldn’t go back to THAT vet. Fast forward two years, and Penny was having breathing issues. She made a pig-like noise when she was excited or went for a walk. Dr. Dorn said it was just allergies and to give her Benadryl. We tried that for awhile, and when we asked about it again, he said it was allergies just like the time before (even though, I had googled and asked him if it could be a collapsing trachea). She also had a mass on her belly, which Dr. Dorn stated was an ovary.
Her breathing issues were getting worse and finally, after two more years, we took her for a second opinion. I am kicking myself for not taking her sooner. She was excited when we walked in, and was oinking all over the place, when the vet tech came out and whisked her away to an oxygen chamber. A simple x-ray showed what I asked Dr. Dorn about. She has a collapsing trachea. She was 4 when she was diagnosed. She’d be dealing with it with zero intervention besides Benadryl from time to time. On top of her collapsing trachea, the “ovary” on her belly, is a hernia. How all of this could have been so horribly misdiagnosed, I’m not sure.
I debated on writing this review, as the staff at WLAH is very kind. They always ask how they are doing, etc. However, our current vet just talked to us about surgery to place a stent. A collapsing trachea can be managed medicinally in 70% of dogs. It’s when it gets this bad that we have to consider surgery. She’s five now, and had we known about this when it started, we would’ve put her on medication, and hopefully just kept her on it for life. Now, not only will she be on medication, but she will have to undergo surgery. She’s our girl, and we’ll be calling for a referral to a surgeon for the surgery tomorrow.
I hope someone finds this review useful. If he’s been awesome to you and your animals, I am glad. I’m not out to ruin anyone here, I’m just telling our story and hopefully it will help someone seek a second opinion sooner. Read Less